


Listening To The Universe

by lectora13



Category: Glee
Genre: AU, F/F, Faberry, Meet-Cute, Romance, post-college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29697660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lectora13/pseuds/lectora13
Summary: This is turning out to be the worst night of Rachel Berry's life, when a beautiful stranger offers her kindness. A firm believer in karma and fate, Rachel believes she should listen to the signs the universe are sending her. But what if the universe made a mistake? Or did it?
Relationships: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Comments: 12
Kudos: 65





	Listening To The Universe

**Author's Note:**

> This idea just wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to get it out of my system. This is just one shot, but feel free to check my multichapter fic Be My Forever, which is completed and I will update regularly.

Rachel paces the waiting room of the surgery floor at the NY Presbyterian like a woman possessed. 

Hiram, her dad, has been in surgery for an hour, and she still hasn't gotten an update. 

She had been too frazzled to pull a "don't you know who I am?" routine when her dad's gurney had been pushed through the automatic doors of the trauma bay.

She didn't appreciate being told to go fill patient information forms at the reception, while her dad was all alone, surrounded by strangers. 

She has said nothing, however, wanting her dad to get the best medical care possible – it wouldn't have done to antagonize the medical staff.

Her thoughts keep going back to an hour ago, when she and her dad had been taking a stroll through Queens after visiting her aunt Ruth. It was such a nice evening, and Rachel didn't have to work that night.

The car had come out of nowhere, swerving into the sidewalk and hitting her dad, dragging him for half a block.

He was being so dorky and amusing, as he told her a funny story from work, and now he was fighting for his life.

She tried her daddy again, but the call kept going straight to voicemail. Her daddy, Leroy, was in Boston for a business trip, and she hasn't been able to reach him.

She slouches in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, moving the entire row of seats with her. She doesn't care. She just wants to know her father is going to be okay.

She covers her mouth, a sob escaping her. The severity of the situation might be finally catching up to her, and she wishes she had someone she trusted enough to be there for her, someone who wouldn’t tell some Broadway gossip blog all about it later.

She gets startled when she sees an object close to her face. She leans back out of instinct, before realizing someone is offering her a pack of tissues. A woman. A stunning woman.

Something in her expression makes Rachel trust her, and she grabs the offered tissues with a shaky hand. "Thank you," she whispers.

The attractive blonde points to the seat beside her, and Rachel makes a motion with her hand as if to say "be my guest."

The blonde sits down slowly, definitely not jolting the row of chairs, like Rachel had done moments before.

"Are you waiting on family?" the blonde asks. Her voice has a breathy quality to it that makes her sound both warm and enticing, and Rachel wonders for a second what that voice might sound like singing.

"My dad. Hit and run." Rachel finds herself answering this total stranger who, as far as she knows, could sell her deepest secrets to the highest bidder.

"That's tough. I'm sorry." Rachel exhales loudly, her lip still trembling. She can't imagine a life without her dad. And her daddy, god, it would kill him. She would lose them both.

She starts crying again, only this time there's a warm hand rubbing her back in a soothing circular motion. "Hey, it's okay. I know it's scary, but they are _really_ good doctors. Trust me."

Rachel looks at the woman, and she sees nothing but kindness and worry in her eyes. God, she hopes she's right about her.

"Do you spend a lot of time here, or something?" Rachel asks, changing the topic. "You seem very comfortable here."

"Or something," the blonde answers enigmatically. "Do you want anything from the vending machine? My treat."

That's when it hits Rachel, she doesn't have her purse with her. Her clutch is still in the glove compartment of her dad's car. God, she didn't have her ID, or money, just her cellphone, because she's always glued to the stupid device.

Fresh tears start pouring down her face as she grabs another tissue to blow her nose. "I'm sorry, I'm not usually such a hot mess. Coffee would be great. Thank you."

The blonde woman smiles at her before walking off to where Rachel assumes the vending machines are. 

She returns after a couple of minutes holding two hot plastic cups. She hands one to Rachel as she re-takes her seat.

"I'm Rachel, by the way. I just realized I've been incredibly rude."

"These experiences are traumatic for both the patient and their loved ones, it's okay. I'm Quinn."

"It's nice to meet you, Quinn. Thank you for the coffee."

Rachel takes a sip of the caffeinated beverage, practically moaning at the way it hits her stomach, warmth spreading quickly over her torso.

"A coffee addict?"

Rachel laughs for the first time since the accident. "What gave it away?"

The blonde, Quinn, shrugs before taking a sip of her own drink. Rachel smells something sweet, and she leans closer to confirm her suspicions. 

"Hot chocolate, want some?" Quinn offers. "I just can't drink another drop of coffee if I want to get any sleep tonight."

"I'm vegan!" Rachel blurts out. "I mean, thank you, but I can't."

"Oh," Quinn frowns, looking almost sad she couldn't share her chocolate. Rachel finds it adorable. 

A faint buzzing sound is heard, and Rachel scrambles to grab her phone in case her daddy is finally calling. 

Quinn shows Rachel her phone and apologizes before answering, walking off in the direction of the window.

Rachel observes the way she leans her hip against the wall, an arm across her abdomen as she listens to the person on the other end. 

Quinn winces, and Rachel finds herself smiling as she takes another sip of her coffee.

She catches some words "I know I promised" and "I love you too", and Rachel scoffs. Everyone seems to have someone waiting for them, except her.

Do they have two Tony's, though? 

She checks the time on her phone and realizes another hour has almost passed by, and she's no closer to hearing anything about her father.

"I know it's easier said than done, but no news is good news. The sooner doctors come through those doors asking for a patient's relative, the worse the news tends to be."

Rachel must have done something very good that week to have been stuck with this wonderful person who keeps going out of her way to reassure her and calm her down. 

Or maybe this is the universe's way of paying it forward, and she will volunteer to make up for this stranger's kindness.

Maybe she will. If her dad makes it.

She must have fallen asleep, because when a young doctor in scrubs asks for the relatives of Hiram Berry, she jumps off her seat, and there's a persistent pain on the side of her neck, as if she had spent a lot of time in the same position.

"Yes, it's me. I'm his daughter. How is he?"

"Surgery went well and he's being wheeled into the recovery room as we speak. If you come with me I will explain everything."

She follows the doctor, her mind laser focused on finding her dad and seeing him with her own two eyes, alive and breathing.  
  


* * *

Rachel waits outside the ICU for her dad to be wheeled in once he wakes up. She's rubbing her neck, trying to alleviate some of the soreness there.

A nurse catches her eye. She's seen her walk past the waiting room a couple of times since she's been there.

The woman smiles as she types something on the computer. "Do you want something for the neck? You slept on it at a very odd angle."

Oh, fantastic. Who else saw her sleeping against a total stranger in this blasted hospital?

That's when she realizes she hadn't said anything to Quinn. The woman had gone above and beyond to help her, and she had just left, without so much as a goodbye.

Her bubbe would shame her for her lack of manners.

The nurse hands her a tiny plastic cup with a pill, and a bigger one with water.

"What is this?" Rachel asks, not sure what she's being given.

"It's just a pain killer, honey." Rachel gulps the pill and chases it down with a big gulp of water, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Thank you."

The nurse plops back on the chair behind the counter, and goes back to checking something on the computer.

"Say, are you friends with Dr Fabray? You two seemed cozy." The nurse chuckles to herself. "I keep telling her she needs to meet more people. She spends too much time here."

Rachel stares at the woman as if she had three eyes and was speaking in tongues. Which she might as well have, because Rachel has no idea of what she's talking about.

"I'm sorry, I must be really tired – or suffering from PTSD – but I really have no idea of what you're talking about."

"Really? Because you two looked pretty chummy in the waiting room. What, with you drooling all over her like that."

"I do not drool!" Complains Rachel. She reaches her hand to the corner of her mouth, as if she would find drool right this moment. "Wait, you mean Quinn?"

"Honey, that's what I've been saying. Doctor Quinn Fabray." The nurse shakes her head as if Rachel had completely lost it. "I figured you two knew each other for her to stay with you after pulling a twenty four hour shift."

Rachel's mouth drops open.

Not only has she learned the gorgeous stranger from the waiting room was a doctor, but also that she stayed to comfort Rachel, despite probably being dead on her feet.

She's about to ask a follow up question, or ten, when she sees her dad's gurney being pushed into the ICU.

"Dad!" she exclaims in relief at seeing the man, semi awake, trying to wave a hand at her.

She was finally able to catch her daddy on the phone, and he managed to get on the first flight to NYC. He grabbed a cab to retrieve his husband's car so he could bring Rachel's purse with him to the hospital. 

It was well past visiting hours when he arrived, but the nurse had taken a liking to Rachel and she had granted Leroy five minutes in the ICU to watch his husband snore like a truck.

She was now finally in her bed, in her apartment in Chelsea, but the excitement of the day had driven her beyond the point of exhaustion, and she no longer felt like sleeping.

She grabbed her phone instead and decided to do some old fashioned stalking.

Rachel tried a generic search first, but she didn't even know how to spell the doctor's last name.

She tried instagram instead. She only needed to type _Quinn Fa_ for a couple of results to show up. 

The account was set to private, so that was a dead end, but at least now she knew how to spell her last name correctly.

She was typing her name on Google when a thought crosses her mind: she’s being creepy. 

The woman hadn't given her a last name, nor told her she was a doctor with the hospital, so clearly she wanted to remain anonymous. Rachel could understand that. She respects that. Which is why she closes the search tab on her browser and puts the phone down.

Still, she wouldn't mind crossing paths with the gorgeous Dr Fabray again. She would love to thank her for the impeccable patient care.

Rachel bit her lip, thinking about half a dozen different ways she'd like to thank Dr Fabray. 

God, she's losing her mind. 

She burrows further under the covers, throwing one last thought into the universe begging she wouldn't wake up to pictures online of her drooling on a stranger's shoulder.

* * *

It takes Rachel two days, and some bribing – Martha, the gabby ICU nurse has a weakness for Milk Bar's cookies – to find out that the gorgeous Dr Fabray was a pediatric fellow.

So what if she had to Google what that meant exactly?

It took her another tin of assorted cookies from Milk Bar to bribe the pediatric nurses to let her know when Dr Fabray would be working next.

And really, she better not need to bribe any more nurses with $30 cookies – what are they made of? Crack? – after this.

The bribing paid off.

The following afternoon, she takes a detour to the pediatric ward, on the 4th floor, in hopes of spotting a familiar blonde doctor.

She gets off the elevator with the self confidence her Broadway stardom and her two Tony's provide her, only to stop in her tracks when hit by the realization that she didn't quite know where to look.

One of the nurses Rachel met yesterday when she brought her "offering" recognizes her, and is kind enough to point in the right direction with a big, colorful pen. Rachel nods her head in thanks and starts walking that way.

She imagines she's going in the right direction because the posters on the walls get increasingly colorful and childish the further she walks.

Until there, leaning over the nurse's station as she checks something on a tablet, is Quinn. Her short hair is held back in a tiny ponytail and she's clad in navy blue scrubs, a pair of black trainers on her feet. 

Rachel takes off her sunglasses, ready to approach the doctor, when another woman beats her to it. 

She's about the same height as Quinn, blonde hair two shades darker than the doctor's, and she encroaches into her personal space like she has been doing it forever.

Quinn smiles when she spots her, wide and dazzling – god, she's stunning – and opens her arms to embrace the woman, kissing her cheek when they separate.

Shortly after that, a squealing little girl with light brown hair runs to the couple. Dr Fabray lifts the girl into her arms and blows a raspberry in her neck, making the girl laugh so hard Rachel thinks she might pee herself.

All three of them look like the perfect picture family, because of course a woman like Quinn – educated, intelligent, kind, gorgeous to boot – would be taken.

Rachel turns away from the scene happening in front of her and retraces her steps to the elevators, set on visiting her dad before she has to go to work.

The doors are almost closed, when she hears the voice of a woman asking her to please hold the elevator, and she instinctively does – random acts of kindness and all that. 

She's trying to follow Quinn's example, maybe good things will come to her as well.

"Thank you!"

And of course the woman is Quinn's… whatever this woman is to her, and the cute little girl is with her as well, seemingly distracted by something on her wrist.

"We forgot again?" the little girl nods her head and offers her arm, showing the hospital bracelet she's wearing. "Sorry, baby. I'll cut it when we get home, okay?"

"It itches." the little girl whines.

Rachel debates whether to step in or let them be – she happens to be carrying a small sewing kit she borrowed from wardrobe last night to use at home.

"I have a pair of scissors if you want." 

"Oh, you wouldn't mind?" the woman asks surprised, but hopeful.

"Not at all." 

The elevator stops on Rachel's floor but she remains inside, waving off the woman's concern with her hand as they watch the doors close again. 

Scissors in hand, she looks at the woman questioningly, which gets her a nod, before bending over slightly and asking the little girl to lift her arm towards her.

She grabs the bracelet between her fingers to start cutting, when she notices the name on it: Fabray, Lily.

Rachel pushes down the lump in her throat and cuts through the plastic, freeing Lily's wrist.

"There, all set." Rachel says in her fakest happy voice.

"What do we say when people do something kind for us, Lily?"

"Thank you." she sounds shy, and adorable, and Rachel can't possibly resent a kid, right? That would be too low in the karmic scale.

"You're welcome, sweetie."

Rachel smiles at the woman and waves goodbye to Lily as they get off the elevator.

Once she's alone again, she punches her father's floor on the elevator's panel, and puts her kit back in her purse. 

As luck would have it, the elevator stops on the 4th floor again, but Rachel's too preoccupied trying to get the objects in her purse in some kind of order to notice someone else just stepped into the elevator.

"Rachel?" she knows that breathy voice. 

She glances up from her purse and meets Quinn's green eyes. 

"Hi, Quinn. Or should I say 'Dr Fabray'?" 

Quinn frowns at her. Rachel lifts an eyebrow and looks her up and down, which seems to make Quinn realize she is dressed in scrubs, and has an ID badge clipped to her pocket with her name on it.

"Right. Sorry." 

Quinn smiles sheepishly and Rachel really needs to have a talk to the universe for making this woman so irresistible to Rachel, when she's not available.

The elevator doors open and Quinn gets off on the same floor as Rachel, who says nothing as she intends to walk straight to her dad's room.

She notices Quinn is following close behind, and when she glances behind, Rachel catches green eyes directed at her ass. Feeling caught, Quinn stops in her tracks, the blush returning to her cheeks.

How dare she look at Rachel's body like that when she's got someone waiting for her at home? Her crush on this woman certainly goes down a notch, or ten.

"How is your dad?" Quinn sounds awkward, probably realizing how out of place her question sounds under the circumstances. 

"He's much better, thanks. He should be released in a couple of days."

"Good, that's good."

Rachel sighs, because all she had really wanted was to thank a kind stranger for offering her some comfort when she needed it the most, right? The rest was just an added bonus, a pipe dream. And she has the perfect opening now. So she takes it.

"Actually, I'm glad we stumbled into each other. I wanted to apologise for the way I left the other night. You were incredibly kind to me, and I just left like that… I'm sorry. I really am thankful for everything you did for me." she lets out a self-deprecating laugh. "I probably would have spiraled out of control if it wasn't for you "

Quinn smiles without teeth, but it feels genuine, and Rachel really likes it. She's so tired of phonies. She needs more people like this woman in her life.

"It's okay. I understand, trust me. When our loved ones are in danger, we forget everything else even exists."

"Yeah…" Rachel wants to tell her she knows, that she's seen the bracelet on Lily, but a voice interrupts their conversation.

"Dr Fabray! To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?" It's Martha, the ICU nurse. 

" _Someone_ mentioned saving me my favorite cookie, because I'm her favorite doctor?" Quinn answers, with a childlike expression that Rachel finds adorable. 

"It's all about the sugar, with you." Martha looks to the other woman then. "Oh, Rachel! How is Hiram doing? He still owes me the recipe for that vegan spinach dip."

"Is he saying that's his? He does this _all_ the time." Rachel rolls her eyes dramatically. "Don't worry, I'll give you the recipe."

"You're an angel, honey." Martha grabs onto Rachel's forearm. "And thank you again for the cookies." She then turns to Quinn, whispering conspiratorially "Check in the second drawer, you know where."

Quinn's entire face lights up at that and Rachel tries not to laugh at this ridiculous human being. She's completely adorable.

"So are you the reason my favorite cookies have randomly appeared in the pediatric and general surgery floors the past couple of days?" Quinn asks, once they are alone. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rachel denies, coyly. 

Rachel is about to leave the woman go get the promised cookie, when a warm hand on her arm stops her.

"Hey, so, I was wondering – and I apologize if I read things wrong –, would you like to have dinner some time? Or lunch, really. Whatever works best for you."

Rachel's pretty sure she has stopped breathing for a second. She doesn't know what she finds more surprising: Quinn asking her out when she's not available, or that she asked her out to begin with.

"Listen, I don't know what little game you're playing, but I don't do affairs." Rachel answers sternly. "I don't cheat, and I don't help others cheat."

She turns around sharply and executes a perfect storm out – straight back, good pace, great hair flip for dramatic effect; a solid 10/10.

She takes a few seconds to compose herself and school her features before entering her dad's room with the biggest smile she can muster.

* * *

When Rachel leaves her dad's room, she notices a nurse she hasn't met yet looking at her with a familiar expression. 

A fan. 

She wants to run away in the other direction, but she doesn't want to jeopardize her father's care. All the nurses have been lovely, and completely professional, but one can never be too sure.

She smiles at the young nurse and, like clockwork, the girl seems to take this as an invitation to approach her.

"Sorry to bother you but, are you Rachel Berry? I know this is so unprofessional but I'm such a big fan."

Rachel smiles politely and stands there listening to the story of how the girl's best friend in nursing school was a fan of hers and he had gotten Lauren, that was her name, into Broadway.

And really, she loves the fact that her fans keep getting younger, and she's flattered by the attention, but she just wants to go home and take a shower before she has to go to work.

"Lauren, wasn't it?" The girl nods excitedly. "I loved meeting you, but I really need to go. I have a show in less than three hours and I still have to stop at home first."

The girl had been understanding enough, and she just seemed to have wanted to chat with someone she admired – she didn't ask for a photo or an autograph – so as far as fan encounters go, this one had been pretty decent.

She's humming when the elevator stops and the doors start opening, but she stops abruptly when she sees who is inside, dressed in street clothes.

Quinn is standing with her hands hanging in front of her body, holding what looks like a black leather jacket, and she's dressed in dark denim skinny jeans, and a red polo shirt. 

Rachel's eyes open as saucers and takes a step back, hoping the elevator will just keep moving, taking Quinn away.

The universe, however, seems to have other plans in store for her, because the doctor holds the door open with one hand, and it would be extremely rude for Rachel not to hop in now. 

So she does.

They are silent the entire ride, but Rachel senses the blonde wants to say something to her – the way she angles her body a couple of times, Quinn definitely wants to speak, but ultimately doesn't.

Rachel is out as soon as the elevator hits the ground floor, trying to ignore Quinn calling her name. Sadly, her power walk can't hold a candle to the doctor's light jogging, because she catches up to Rachel and forces her to stop.

"Rachel, please let me-"

"What? Explain?" Rachel huffs. So predictable.

"Yes!" Quinn sighs. "I don't know what happened earlier, but whatever you think you know about me, you're wrong."

Rachel bites her lip, considering whether she should give this woman a chance to explain. 

She must be going crazy, because Rachel is seriously considering skipping her show. Normally she would never dream of doing this, but she has already won a Tony for this play, and her dad's accident was an excellent excuse.

She looks at Quinn's very beautiful face, and those bright green eyes begging to give her a chance. Perhaps this will turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life, but she believes their paths keep crossing for a reason.

"Okay. I just have to text my director and tell him I won't be making it today."

Quinn tilts her head, observing her with curiosity. "Are you an actress?" Rachel laughs at that, and nods as she composes a text message. "We really don’t know anything about each other,” the blonde muses out loud.

The thought makes Rachel smile.

They go to a cafe nearby, a pretty neutral scenario with zero expectations for anything else to happen, other than having coffee – or hot chocolate, in Quinn's case.

Neither one of them speaks for a few minutes, so Rachel takes it upon herself to break the silence.

"I saw you earlier today. With that woman, and the little girl, Lily."

Quinn's eyes harden at the mention of the little girl, and Rachel feels the need to recoil in her seat.

"What do you mean you saw us? How do you know Lily?" Her voice is low and her words are measured.

"I stopped by earlier, I wanted to thank you for staying with me the other night."

Quinn seems to relax at that, her entire posture changing, looking almost relieved. And then she starts laughing, and that takes Rachel by surprise.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh like that," she says, shaking her head. "That still doesn't explain how you know Lily."

"We met in the elevator. I cut her hospital bracelet and I caught a glimpse of her name."

"I see." The blonde doctor pushes the mug of hot chocolate to the side, lacing her hands on top of the table in its place. "The woman you saw, that's my sister Frannie. Lily is my niece."

 _Oh_.

Rachel Berry you're the biggest idiot on this side of the Hudson river. She can feel the heat on her cheeks, and she's one minute away from hoping the ground will open up and swallow her – deep, deep down below, where she won't have to face this woman ever again.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn. That was so unfair of me, to just assume that you… You've been nothing but kind to me, and in turn I-"

Quinn waves her hand in dismissal, stopping Rachel's apologetic rant.

"We don't know each other, I could have very well been the kind of asshole you thought me to be."

Gosh, this woman really is perfect. And single! Rachel's mind happily reminds her.

"No, you wouldn't have. You have the kindest eyes I've ever seen."

Quinn is looking down now, trying to hide a blush from Rachel. Not bad, Berry, pretty suave.

"So, now that you know I wouldn't be cheating – which for the record, I have _never_ done –, will you have dinner with me?"

"Well, it appears I'm free tonight." 

Quinn's entire face lits up, as if she had just received the best news of her entire life, and this time is Rachel's turn to blush at the thought of someone like Quinn wanting to spend time with her that badly.

Once outside, Rachel stops on the sidewalk, ready to discuss where they should go for dinner. When she looks at Quinn, she finds the most serene expression looking back at her.

"I really want to kiss you."

The blonde's words take Rachel by surprise, but the certainty Rachel seems to see in those green and golden eyes, fuel her resolve.

Rachel steps closer to her, grabbing the lapels of the soft leather jacket – they will need to have a talk about that, later – and she presses her lips to Quinn's.

She intends for it to be a brief kiss, just a contact of lips, but then Quinn wraps one arm around her waist and pulls her closer, deepening the kiss.

And really it's unfair just how perfect this woman is.

Rachel's knees almost buckle when their mouths part a few millimeters, Quinn's lips still brushing hers. She leans forward, wanting another taste, but the doctor leans back last second, teasing her.

"Let's have dinner first, please. I really really want to know you, Rachel Berry; actress."

And what can Rachel do, but pull herself together so as to not melt into a pile of goo at the raspy, out of breath sound of a thoroughly kissed Quinn Fabray, MD.

Rachel grabs Quinn's hand, marveling at how well their fingers fit, laced together like that, and she sends a message to the universe: _thank you_.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> A dear friend got a talented Faberry shipper on twitter to draw "Faberry, with Quinn as a doctor" for me because of this fic, and I would be remiss if I didn't link to the beautiful artwork. Thank you so much! https://twitter.com/asgrony/status/1365782624564822018


End file.
